Apparatus for the formation of necks on headers



Nov. 3, 1959 A. HUET 2,910,897

APPARATUS FOR THE FORMATION OF NECKS ON HEADERS Filed Feb. 27, 1957 II I.

INVENTOR. HNDRE HUE T 3% RAM.

FI/fomey States APPARATUS FOR THE FORMATIGN 3F NILJKS ON HEADERS Application February 27, 1957, Serial No. 642,841

2 Claims. (Cl. 781) The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for forming necks or nipples on tubular metallic members, such as fluid distributing headers, in which the necks provide for tube connections to the header.

Apparatus of this type generally provides for making a neck in one single operation by the utilization of a punch placed inside the header and moved by a piston of a hydraulic jack in such manner that the punch, piercing the preheated Wall of the header, forms the neck by extrusion of metal in combination with a die applied against the outer wall surface of the header opposite the punch. In the case of headers of small diameter and relatively thick walls it is not possible to place such a punch and its jack inside the header because the space left for the stroke of the piston of the jack is not sufficient to move the punch far enough to execute the movement necessary for the complete formation of the nozzle, this movement becoming longer as the header wall thickens.

For the purpose of remedying this difiiculty applicant has devised an arrangement constituting the object of this invention, which essentially consists of a lever to be introduced into the header and pivotally carrying at one end a wall piercing punch while the other end of the lever serves as the point of applicant of an actuating rod which is introduced through the wall of the header by way of a neck already formed and transmits the punch operating pressure from the outside. The necks formed on a header are generally alined in one or several rows and are separated in each row by intervals of equal length so that the last formed neck in a row can be used for the passage of the actuating rod for executing the following neck by means of the lever.

The following description in reference to the attached drawings, given as example, will help to better understand the method in which the invention can be carried out.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the neck forming apparatus mounted in the workpiece or header.

Figure 2 is a cross section on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a cross section on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows a cross section on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

The lever has a central point of support or hub 12 pivoting between two side plates 14, 16, assembled by bolts 18 and bearing on the bottom of the interior of header A (Figs. 3 and 4) in the wall of which the necks are to be established. The end of the left arm 20 of lever 10 carries on a dovetailed slide bar 21 a bearing 22 in which a cylinder 24 is supported on which rests the base of punch 26 which is formed with 4 @0655 fit cylinder 24.

Patented Nov. 3, 1959 The same kind of fittings consisting of bar 31, hearing 32 and cylinder 33 are mounted at the right end of the other arm 34 of lever 10 and serve as point of application for a rod 36 which, as can be seen in Figure 1, can exert a force F either by continuous pressure or by shock. Rod 36 passes through an already formed neck B in the Wall of header tube A.

The header tube A can rest in a semi-cylindrical support joined or not to a die 42 which is applied oppositely on header A at the point where the following neck C is to be established.

The functioning of the apparatus is as follows:

The lever 10 and its fitments, including punch 26, is introduced into the interior of the header A in the region of header A where it is intended to establish neck C where a small opening D has been made. The lever 10 is introduced into the inside of the header A by means of guide and fixing rod 44, bolted to side plates 16 and 13. The header A having been heated in the region Where neck C is to be formed, pressure F is then exerted on red 36 which makes the lever 19 swing around the axis of hub 12. With this movement punch 26 penetrates the wall of the header A and, in combination with outside die 42, forms neck C as shown in mixed lines on Figures 1 and 3.

The first neck to be pierced into the wall of the header is, of course, effected by a pressure P, exerted on rod 34 with the latter entirely outside the header. After this rod 36 then passes successively into the necks already formed. If the space beween the successive necks B, C, etc., should vary, levers of different length are used, or still better, arms 20, 34 may be made extensible.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for forming a series of tubular necks in longitudinally spaced relation along one generatrix of a cylindrical header comprising; a pair of spaced plates supported within and disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the header; a lever of the first class pivoted between said plates with the distal end of one arm thereof located in transverse alinement with the opening of a tubular neck previously formed through. and projecting from the header wall on said generatrix; a wall piercing punch articulated to the other arm of the lever opposite said generatrix and adapted to be displaced perpendicularly to said axis of the header to form a second tubular neck; and a rod displaceable parallelly to said punch through said first mentioned neck formed on the header for engaging said one arm of said lever and operating the latter to actuate said punch, said rod and lever serving as a gauge to index and space said punch with respect to a previously formed tubular neck.

2. Apparatus for forming tubular necks on a header as defined in claim 1 wherein said rod detachably engages said lever arm for removal from said first mentioned neck to enable movement of said lever and punch longitudinally of said header.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,319,003 Lear May 11, 1943 2,487,262 Mueller Nov. 8, 1949 2,537,515 Davis Ian. 9, 1951 

